Search Results (13)

Water used in cleaning processes within the agri-food industry can be a vector for post-harvest contaminants, thus contributing to cross-contamination. The contamination risk is increased when water is not replaced between batches or when disinfection protocols are insufficient. Given the increasing focus in recent years on the potential of natural, non-invasive plant extracts to combat a variety of pathogens, including multidrug-resistant bacteria, environmental strains, and clinical isolates, this study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of selected water-ethanol plant extracts against six opportunistic pathogens isolated from wash water in the agri-food industry, along with chromatographic analyses of the selected extracts. Plant extracts were obtained from the fruits, leaves, shoots, roots, and bark of 13 species. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the well diffusion method. The results indicated that antimicrobial activity was exhibited by six extracts: Tilia cordata Mill., Camellia sinensis, Quercus robur L., Betula pendula Roth, Rubus idaeus L., and Salix alba L. The extracts showed strain-dependent antimicrobial activity, with C. sinensis and R. idaeus up to 4.0 mm and 8.0 mm inhibition zones, respectively. P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis were the most susceptible strains, demonstrating the largest inhibition zones. In contrast, P. vulgaris and K. oxytoca were more resistant. The efficacy of the most active extracts can be linked to the presence of phytochemicals identified via GC-MS, including epicatechin, shikimic acid, quinic acid, gallic acid, and caffeine. These metabolites are known to interfere with bacterial cell structures and metabolic pathways. These studies may serve as a preliminary step toward the development of non-invasive water treatment methods for wash water. Full article

White willow (Salix alba) is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat pain and inflammation. The aims of this study were to produce polyphenol-rich herbal beverages from willow bark with different ethanol content, temperatures, and solvent pH and to explore neuroprotective potentials of willow polyphenols. The phenolic compounds quantified in the willow infusions were salicin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, p-salicylic acid, and p-coumaric acid; the former three compounds exhibited promising inhibitory potentials against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in molecular docking studies. Total phenol content and antioxidant activity were maximum when prepared with 50% ethanol-in-water at room temperature. Although aqueous infusions contained fewer total phenols than those extracted with 50% hydroalcoholic solutions, they enhanced the extraction of chlorogenic acid and salicin content, which may possess promising neuroprotective potentials. The addition of citric acids in hot water infusions led to a higher proportion of non-tannins and had a lighter appearance, which may result in less astringent mouthfeel and better consumer acceptance. Overall, the obtained results indicate that willow bark prepared with hot water and/or with addition of citric acids is rich in bioactive compounds with high antioxidant activity and possible neuroprotective activities in silico, which could serve as valuable ingredients for inclusion in functional beverages. Full article

White willow (Salix alba) is a medicinal plant used in folk medicine. In this study, aqueous and ethanolic willow bark extracts were obtained via ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and analyzed regarding their phytochemical (total phenolics, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins) content and in vitro biological properties (antibacterial and antifungal activity, acetylcholinesterase AChE inhibitory activity and anti-inflammatory effects). The highest phenolic, tannin, and flavonoid contents were found for willow bark extracts obtained via microwave-assisted extraction using ethanol as a solvent (SA-ME). The polyphenol load of all MAE and UAE extracts was higher when conventional solid–liquid extraction was applied (ρ < 0.05). The antioxidant capacities were stronger for microwave-assisted ethanolic extracts, with the lowest IC₅₀ values of 12 μg/mL for DPPH^• and a value of 16 μg/mL for ABTS•+, whereas the conventional extraction had the highest IC₅₀ values (22 μg/mL and 28 μg/mL, respectively). Willow bark extract showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. AChE inhibitory activity was dependent on the extraction method and solvent used, and the highest inhibition among samples was observed for SA-ME. Taken altogether, our findings suggest that willow (Salix alba) bark extract obtained via ethanolic microwave-assisted extraction is a phytochemical-rich resource with in vitro, anti-inflammatory, and AchE inhibitory properties and, therefore, potential multiple medicinal end-uses. Full article

The implication of heat stress (HS) in the oxidative stress phenomenon and its related diseases in chickens has been widely reported. Salicin is a precursor for the synthesis of salicylic acid and aspirin obtained from the bark of Salix alba, with an undeniable anti-inflammatory effect. However, little attention has been paid to salicin’s antioxidant/oxidative stress-reducing effect compared to its well-known anti-inflammatory effect. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of dietary salicin standardized extract from Salix alba bark (SAB) on oxidative stress biomarkers and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens exposed to heat stress. In our study, chickens (14 days) were randomly allocated to three treatment groups (SAB0; SAB25; SAB50), each of which included five replicates with eight birds per replicate. Broilers were exposed to heat stress (32 ± 2 °C) between 14 and 42 days. The liver tissues were collected to analyze oxidative stress biomarkers (total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase). The intestinal content was collected and measurements of the intestinal microbial population were performed (E. coli, staphylococci, lactobacilli). Results indicated that liver malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls activity decreased (p  < 0.05) in SAB50 treatment concomitantly with linearly increased total antioxidant capacity, and glutathione concentration. Dietary supplementation with SAB reduced (p < 0.05) the abundance of staphylococci and increased the number of lactobacilli. Taken together, SAB possesses an advantageous effect on liver oxidative status and the balance of intestinal microflora in broilers exposed to heat stress. These findings provide new insight into the potential use of salicin standardized extract from Salix alba bark for liver damage prevention and dysbiosis related to heat stress. Full article

In this study, the characterization of several bacterial diseases affecting silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), white poplar (Populus alba L.), and white willow (Salix alba L.) in Ukraine were described. The typical symptoms, features of pathogenesis, and characteristics of the causative agents of the most common bacterial diseases of these tree species were shown. The following types of bacterioses were noted to be especially dangerous, namely, bacterial wetwood, fire blight, bacterial canker, and tuberculosis. Bacterial necrosis of the bark was a less dangerous disease. At the same time, all of the listed types of bacterioses were registered within the forest areas of the investigated region. The study revealed that bacterial wetwood of birch and poplar was caused by Lelliottia nimipressuralis; the bacterial canker of poplar is Pseudomonas syringae (Pseudomonas syringae f. populi and Pseudomonas cerasi); the fire poplar blight is caused by Pseudomonas cerasi (P. syringae); the common ash tuberculosis is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi; and the bacterial wilt of the willow is caused by Brenneria salicis. The phenomenon of the introduction of microorganisms of different functional orientations as well as the formation of conditions for their activity in the rhizosphere of plants have been studied. In the future, it will provide the development of effective methods for the rapid identification of causative agents of bacterioses and plant protection measures based on multi-functional microbiological preparations based on highly effective strains of microorganisms. Full article

Three individual hydroalcoholic extracts derived from Hamamelis virginiana leaves, Krameria lappacea root, Salix alba bark, and the resulting herbal mixture (HM) were assessed for the phytochemical profile as well as for antibacterial and cytotoxic potential. The chemical composition of the individual extracts and of their mixture was analyzed by chromatographical (LC-MS) and spectrophotometrical methods. The antimicrobial properties were evaluated by using the agar-well diffusion and the broth microdilution assays, whereas the potential cytotoxicity was investigated on human keratinocyte cell line by MTT method and apoptosis test. The HM composition revealed important amounts of valuable polyphenolic compounds provided from the individual extracts, having synergistic biological effects. All tested extracts displayed in vitro antimicrobial properties, with a significantly higher efficacy noticed for the HM when tested against Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, none of the tested extracts was responsible for in vitro cytotoxicity against the human keratinocytes in the selected concentration range. Furthermore, the HM was included in an oil-in-water cream for the nonpharmacological treatment of seborrheic dermatitis, developed and optimized by using a QbD approach. A D-optimal experimental plan with four factors that varied on two levels was used to investigate the effect of the quantitative variation of the formulation factors (emulsifier, co-emulsifier, thickening agent, oily phase ratio) on the characteristics of the cream in terms of firmness, consistency, adhesiveness, stringiness, spreadability, and viscosity. Based on the experimental results, an optimal formulation containing 2.5% emulsifier and 20% oily phase was prepared and analyzed. The obtained results showed appropriate quality characteristics of this novel cream, which may be used in the future to manage the associated symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. Full article

Green chemistry is a pharmaceutical industry tool, which, when implemented correctly, can lead to a minimization in resource consumption and waste. An aqueous extract of Salix alba L. was employed for the efficient and rapid synthesis of silver/gold particle nanostructures via an inexpensive, nontoxic and eco-friendly procedure. The nanoparticles were physicochemically characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with the best stability of up to one year in the solution obtained for silver nanoparticles without any chemical additives. A comparison of the antimicrobial effect of silver/gold nanoparticles and their formulations (hydrogels, ointments, aqueous solutions) showed that both metallic nanoparticles have antibacterial and antibiofilm effects, with silver-based hydrogels having particularly high antibiofilm efficiency. The highest antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacies were obtained against Pseudomonas aeruginosa when using silver nanoparticle hydrogels, with antibiofilm efficacies of over 75% registered. The hydrogels incorporating green nanoparticles displayed a 200% increased bacterial efficiency when compared to the controls and their components. All silver nanoparticle formulations were ecologically obtained by “green synthesis” and were shown to have an antimicrobial effect or potential as keratinocyte-acting pharmaceutical substances for ameliorating infectious psoriasis wounds. Full article

In this study, we analyzed and compared the concentrations of selected metals/metalloids and the antioxidant response of Salix alba L. (white willow) bark in the highly polluted area around the Kosovo A and B thermal power plants. The antioxidant capacity of Salix alba bark was evaluated in terms of the total phenolics, flavonoids, chlorophylls, and carotenoids, while the metal content in the soil and willow bark was analyzed by ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy). For total antioxidant level assessment, FRAP, DPPH, and CUPRAC assays were conducted. The mean concentrations of selected elements in soil and willow dry mass range from 15,698.4 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass (soil) to 371.1 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Al; 37.676 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to <2 ppb (willow bark) for As; 14.8 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 0.62 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Cd; 24.2 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 1.2 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Cr; 58.8 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 9.1 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Cu; 16,975.68 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 385.4 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Fe; 95.0 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 7.9 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Ni; 185.2 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to <1 ppb (willow bark) for Pb; and 226.7 mg kg⁻¹ (soil) to 87.7 mg kg⁻¹ (willow bark) for Zn. Additionally, the Salix alba bark samples presented mean values of 12,191.6 mg kg⁻¹ for Ca, 1306.0 mg kg⁻¹ for Mg, and 123.1363 mg kg⁻¹ for Mn. The mean phenolic content was 39.292 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW, being 28.222 mg CE g⁻¹ DW for flavonoids, 38.099 mg g⁻¹ FW for CHLa, 49.240 mg g⁻¹ FW for CHLb, and 94.976 mg g⁻¹ FW for CAR. The results of this study indicate that the bark of Salix alba contains significant amounts of phenolic compounds, and strong positive and moderate negative correlations are revealed between total phenolic compounds and iron, and total phenolics and nickel and manganese, respectively. Full article

Proteins undergo continuous changes under the action of various intrinsic and extrinsic factors, leading to alteration of several intracellular metabolic pathways and the development of various clinical disorders. Non-enzymatic glycosylation is one of the main factors responsible for the progression of diabetic complications and the aging process. Although there are currently many effective therapies in the prevention and treatment of these diseases, in the last decade, there has been an increasing trend of replacing synthetic drugs by natural compounds, in order to reduce the side effects that may occur and the production costs. It is well known that aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) inhibits the glycation process of serum proteins by acetylating N-terminal amino groups and lysine residues in their structure. Therefore, the main purpose of our research was to analyze the non-enzymatic glycation and fructation process of hemoglobin through spectrometric and electrophoretic techniques, in order to reveal how this process could influence the three-dimensional structure and biological function of the protein, and the effect of some natural aspirin-like compounds on the peroxidase and esterase activity of hemoglobin during fructose and glucose binding. In this way, a preliminary phytochemical characterization of a bark extract of white willow (Salix alba) was performed in order to evaluate the content of total phenolics, flavonoids, and salicylic derivatives, as well as the antioxidant activity. Then, human erythrocytes isolated from whole peripheral blood were incubated with different concentrations of fructose/glucose (10, 50, 100 mM) and S. alba extract for 5, 7, 10 and 14 days. The results obtained from the THz spectra confirmed that fructose was more reactive than glucose, so the glycation process took place more slowly than fructation. Also, the presence of S. alba extract showed an antiglycosylating effect, but not a total inhibition of the glycation process. In addition, enzymatic determinations proved that willow bark extract restored the peroxidase and esterase activities to the control levels. Our data indicated that salicylic compounds can be successfully used as substitutes for aspirin, one of the main synthetic compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-glycosylating roles. Salicin, salicylic acid and other salicylic compounds possess strong antioxidant properties, which give them the ability to participate in the glycosylation process to block the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Full article

The study examines the phenolic compounds in hydromethanolic extracts of Salix alba (L.) leaves and bark as well as their antioxidant activity and cytotoxic potential. UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS analysis showed a total of 29 phenolic compounds in leaves and 34 in bark. Total phenolic compound content was 5575.96 mg/100 g of dry weight (DW) in leaves and 2330.31 mg/100 g DW in bark. The compounds were identified as derivatives of phenolic acids (seven in leaves and five in bark), flavanols and procyanidins (eight in leaves and 26 in bark) and flavonols (14 in leaves and three in bark). Both extracts exhibited strong antioxidant potential, assessed by radical scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), but the bark extract was even stronger than the ascorbic acid used as a standard. The cytotoxicity of both extracts was evaluated against human skin fibroblasts and human epidermal keratinocytes cell lines using the Presto Blue cell viability assay. The keratinocytes were more resistant to tested extracts than fibroblasts. The leaf and bark extracts at concentrations which exhibited antioxidant activity were also not toxic against the keratinocyte cell line. Thus, S. alba extracts, especially the leaf extract, offer promise as a nontoxic natural antioxidant, in cosmetic products or herbal medicines, and as a source of bioactive secondary metabolites. Full article

The paper aimed to analyse the effect of dietary Salix alba L. bark powder (SAB) on broiler performance in terms of oxidative stress parameters in liver and gut microflora. One hundred and eighty Cobb 500 broiler chicks (14 days) were allotted to three homogeneous treatments (SAB 0%; SAB 0.025%; SAB 0.05%). The broilers were housed in an environmentally controlled space (10 replicates, six broilers/replicate). Compared to dietary control treatment (SAB 0%), the other treatments included 0.025% SAB (SAB 0.025%) and 0.05% SAB (SAB 0.05%). The results showed that SAB powder used in broiler diet had a high total phenolic content. Regarding the performance results, significant differences between experimental and control treatments were recorded only for average daily feed intake (35–42 days). The broilers fed with SAB powder had a significantly lower hepatic level of malondialdehide and glutathione, a higher total antioxidant capacity than those fed control treatment, and demonstrated a positive effect on the development of non-pathogenic bacteria (lactobacilli) but a decrease in the population of pathogenic ones (E. coli, staphylococci). Our findings suggested that dietary 0.05% SAB powder could be an effective solution to impede the oxidative stress in broiler liver and to improve gut microflora. Full article

In laboratory tests, the effectiveness of water plant extracts obtained from 20 species of herbal plants on the degree of contamination of white mustard seeds (Sinapis alba L.) by fungal and bacterial pathogens was evaluated. The analysis showed that the contamination of the tested seed material was statistically significantly influenced by the plant species from which the biopreparations were obtained. However, there were no significant differences in the method of preparation of extracts for the examined traits. The tested natural preparations had a different effect on limiting the superficial growth of bacteria and fungi on seeds. However, infusion and macerate obtained from the bark of Salix alba L. were the most effective in limiting the contamination with both bacterial and fungal pathogens. The number of seeds infected with fungi after the application of these preparations was 24.25% on average, whereas in the case of bacterial colonization of the tested material, the value of this indicator was 1.00% on average. Full article

Willow (Salix L.) species are widely spread in Lithuanian natural dendroflora. Willow bark contains active substances known for anti-inflammatory properties and is known as a phytotherapeutic precursor of aspirin. Bark extracts are components of analgesic and antirheumatic preparations. Therapeutic effectiveness is associated with salicin (2-(hydroxymethyl) phenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside), which turns into salicylic acid. Increasing attention to natural preparations gives primary importance to research of plants. This study focused on 12 willow taxa and employed routine pharmacopoeia methods. High-performance liquid chromatography method was applied for the analysis of bark extractions. The investigation revealed that not all willow species accumulated a therapeutically sufficient amount of salicin. Bark samples were investigated after 1- and 2-year growth in autumn and spring. Salicin content ranged from 0.08 to 12.6%. Higher contents of active materials were determined in autumn and in 2-year-old willows. Certain willow taxa (Salix alba L., Salix mollissima L., Salix triandra L., Salix viminalis “Americana”, Salix dasyclados L.) possessed extremely low salicin amounts. In the second year, analysis covered 32 willow species. Results indicated striking differences in salicin amounts (from 0.04% in Salix viminalis “Americana” to 12.06% in Salix acutifolia). Willow species, plant age, and season should be considered when collecting medicinal plant material. The amount of salicylates in 2-year-old willow bark collected in autumn exceeded by 25% that in 1-year-old willow bark collected in spring. Bark of some analyzed willow species contained the amount of salicylates too low for using as anti-inflammatory or antipyretic remedy. Full article